Halfway through, Chi-Chi changed tactics and whipped around with an elbow strike to Goku's face,
Goku took the hit and staggered sideways, off balance,
At that moment, Chi-Chi suddenly launched a straight-up kick, striking Goku squarely on the chin.
Goku let out a pained grunt as he was sent flying.
Having finally thrown Goku off balance, Chi-Chi knew she couldn't let up now,
If she seized the moment, she could win in one fell swoop.
The instant she sent Goku flying, Chi-Chi stomped against the ground and charged in to kick him.
Just as she was about to hit him, Goku arched his back upward, dodging Chi-Chi's kick.
Chi-Chi brushed past him from behind.
Goku quickly rolled and landed steadily on the ground.
At the same time, Chi-Chi also landed in the ring.
She spread her arms and said to Goku, "Let me show you the move I learned. Let's see if you can catch me!"
Son Goku was taken aback. "What?"
The next instant, Chi-Chi suddenly vanished. Countless afterimages of her appeared all around Goku.
"Afterimage Technique?"
"Hehe, impressive, huh?"
Son Goku crooked his mouth. "Watch this!"
As he spoke, Goku suddenly attacked one of the afterimages.
"Thud!" Chi-Chi went flying and crashed heavily to the ground.
Chi-Chi said dejectedly, "You actually saw through it. What a shame!"
Just then, Son Goku also struck the pose for the Afterimage Technique.
"You haven't mastered your Afterimage Technique yet. Watch mine!"
As he spoke, Son Goku's body vanished too, transforming into several afterimages in the blink of an eye.
Chi-Chi took a defensive stance and looked around.
Suddenly, she spotted Goku's real body among the afterimages, and her eyes lit up in an instant.
"Found you!"
The next instant, Chi-Chi suddenly kicked toward Goku's real body.
However, just as her attack landed, her foot overlapped with an afterimage. She hadn't hit his actual body.
Chi-Chi's pupils narrowed. "Uh-oh!"
In the blink of an eye, while Chi-Chi was still recovering from her attack,
Son Goku's real body appeared and struck her in the stomach with his palm.
With a dull thud, Chi-Chi went flying.
Luckily, the grass was just behind her,
and when she landed, she realized she was already outside the ring.
The lively look in Chi-Chi's eyes was suddenly clouded over, and everything before her blurred.
"Waaah, I lost..."
As she spoke, Chi-Chi rubbed her eyes with both hands and began to cry.
Just then, the referee called out loudly, "Contestant Chi-Chi has fallen outside the ring! Contestant Son Goku wins!"
The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.
"Fantastic! That was incredible!"
"Coming here to watch this match was worth every penny!"
"That was amazing! The little girl was amazing too!"
"Don't cry. It's only a loss—you were already incredible, Chi-Chi!"
Some people had already begun comforting Chi-Chi, who had landed outside the ring.
But she kept on crying.
Bulma glanced at Chi-Chi, sitting on the grass, and couldn't help walking over,
planning to comfort her and then take her away.
But just as Bulma had taken a few steps,
Son Goku jumped down from the ring and helped Chi-Chi to her feet.
"Chi-Chi, don't cry. Your martial arts are almost as good as mine now. You're amazing!"
In Goku's arms, Chi-Chi trembled slightly and hugged him back,
resting her chin on one of his shoulders as two more tears fell.
"Waaah, Goku, I lost.
Does that mean you won't like me anymore?"
As she spoke, Chi-Chi pulled free of Goku's embrace,
stepped back a little, and looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
Goku wiped away Chi-Chi's tears and smiled. "How could that be? You're so cute. I like you a lot.
But my dream is to become the strongest martial artist,
so you'll have to work hard to keep up with me!"
Chi-Chi was stunned, then her eyes immediately brightened.
"Goku, I'll definitely keep working hard.
When the tournament's over, let's go back and keep training, okay?"
Son Goku patted Chi-Chi on the head and smiled. "Sure. That's what I was planning too."
A bright smile immediately bloomed across Chi-Chi's face. "Then I'll head backstage first!"
"Okay!"
With that, Chi-Chi skipped off backstage.
Bulma, who had just watched the two of them cuddling, was stunned.
"No way?"
"Did someone just steal my man?"......
Chapter 51: The Finals: Master and Disciple Face Off
The finals had finally arrived.
After watching Goku and Chi-Chi's thrilling match, the referee and spectators were all looking forward to the final showdown.
Everyone was sure this match would be even more exciting.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the decisive moment has finally arrived: the final match of the World Martial Arts Tournament!"
"Who will be the champion of this World Martial Arts Tournament—contestant Son Goku or contestant Jackie Chun?
The most crucial moment is finally here!"
"Will the two contestants please enter the ring!"
Jackie Chun and Little Goku were soon standing in the ring,
and though they were vastly different in age, their auras were evenly matched.
Jackie Chun was white-haired but vigorous,
while Little Goku wore a brightly colored martial arts uniform, his eyes lively and his movements nimble.
"Begin!"
At the referee's call, the two charged at each other.
The battle began, and the atmosphere grew tense at once.
Little Goku struck first, launching a fierce attack straight at Jackie Chun.
Jackie Chun darted aside, dodging the blow as casually as if he were taking a stroll,
then immediately counterattacked, throwing a punch at Little Goku.
Unlike the previous fights,
this one didn't start cautiously and then build in intensity. It was already at a fever pitch from the very beginning.
Especially Goku.
He no longer held back the way he had before,
as if he'd freed himself in an instant. His attacks were faster and stronger than before.
He moved like the wind, circling Jackie Chun at high speed as he searched for an opening.
Whenever a chance appeared, he attacked without hesitation.
The two traded blows, their fists and feet blurring until they were impossible to follow.
Yet the repeated whooshes through the air made the intensity of their battle unmistakable.
Their figures darted rapidly around the ring, and every clash was breathtaking.
The spectators were captivated by the incredible showdown. Cheers and shouts rose one after another.
"Holy crap, I thought he hadn't been holding back against that little girl. He even made her cry.
So this kid's that strong?
He was holding back a lot in the last match. I really underestimated him..."
"Exactly! He's amazing!"
"And people said he didn't know how to treat girls right.
Clearly, he hadn't been using his full strength when he fought little Chi-Chi just now."
"But Jackie Chun is truly unfathomable.
He's so old, yet he can still move that fast. I can't even follow him!"
"Amazing!"
"Come on! Great job!"
Watching Goku and Jackie Chun fight, Chi-Chi was astonished too.
She said in disbelief, "I never realized Goku was so much stronger than me..."
Krillin nodded. "Yeah, he's really strong!
But I'm curious—if the three of us got the same training, how did he get so strong? The difference is huge!"
Chi-Chi said, "Because he'd already been training for a long time before we started.
He was already much stronger than us before training even began,
so it makes sense that he's stronger than us now."
Krillin was taken aback and asked, "That's true,
but we train together every day, and the intensity is the same,
yet he's a whole level stronger than us. Aren't you jealous?"
Chi-Chi shook her head, then gazed at Goku fighting in the ring, her eyes shining. "I'm not jealous,